Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
When it comes to Bennett...I do wonder if sometimes it's less about wing/center and more just about embracing the player.
Kadri in Toronto and Bennett in Calgary are similar to me.
The things that management and media sometimes overfocused on with the player...bad penalties, over exuberance, over carrying the puck, etc.
Became things that the Avalanche and Panthers embraced about the players.
The Avs didn't have an issue with Kadri bringing more of an edge, crossing the line at times, being a bit of a puck hog and dominating the puck on the second line. They embraced him doing it.
Same thing with Bennett in Florida - they embraced his tenacity, allowed him to handle the puck more, encouraged him to try to make more zone entries with possession through the middle of the ice, and tried to embrace his blend of skill and grit, as opposed to trying to make him more of a pure grinder.
Sometimes you just have to embrace what the player is instead of trying to morph him into something else.
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I don’t recall Bennett being a puck hog like Kadri.
But carrying the puck and entering the zone with swagger is what you want from your centers. That is why Zary and Frost are important.